Song Of The Month July 2016

Well that's us at the end of July already I'm afraid and next month (August) we'll head back to school or home tutoring in my case. Looking at the brighter side of the situation, at least I'll be starting my final year of school! A slightly frightening thought I must admit!

Anyway, seeing as it's the end of the month I better pick out July's 'Song of the Month'. And some of you might be able to guess what band it's by considering where I ventured earlier this month. So my song choice this month is........

'Penny Lane' by The Beatles

As you all probably know by now, I visited Liverpool earlier in the month and during my trip visited a lot of famous Beatles related sites on 'The Fab Four Taxi Tour'. And well, Penny Lane just so happened to be one of them. I love the buzz of driving into Penny Lane listening to the famous song of the same name penned by one of my very favourite musicians Sir Paul McCartney about some of the places he visited in Liverpool throughout his youth. I love how simple, everyday things inspired him to write such a classic song loved by people all over the world and brings thousands of fans like myself to a visit a certain street in his hometown. It fascinates me to be honest.

Penny Lane is up there as one of my all-time favourite Beatles songs so considering that and the fact that I visited the very location of the song just a few weeks ago it only felt right to pick it as my 'Song of the Month'. I hope you enjoy listening to this cheery number and be sure to pay close attention to the lyrics where Paul describes his observation of a street he visited on a daily basis. Love, love, love it!

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: I Touched A Piece of Beatles History!

Well hello out there from another day (well evening!) here in Liverpool. Today, we've literally been here, there and everywhere fitting in as much as we possibly could. Liverpool was absolutely buzzing, there was so much happening absolutely everywhere we ventured! I wish we lived somewhere like that where there's constantly something happening and so much to see. However, I'll just have to enjoy it whilst I'm here!

We had breakfast once again at Bill's this morning because it's seriously too good not to! It's definitely worth paying a visit to if you ever get the chance, I believe there's various branches up and down the country. I am so unadventurous when it comes to food in the present day so once again I ordered a cooked breakfast with all the usual suspects included. When I was younger I used to be up for trying absolutely anything when it came to food nowadays I tend to opt for things that I'm familiar with. But just like yesterday, Bill's lived up to our high expectations and delivered yet another delicious meal!

Both Laurel and Mum had various shops in mind that they wanted to visit particularly the department stores that sell makeup such as Debenhams and Harvey Nichols. The shops down here a much bigger selection of makeup brands so we were in our element having a browse. Mum and Laurel made a few purchases buying some new goodies however I refrained from doing so as I'd been saving my cash for a splurge in one of The Beatles Stores-it's got be done!

Mum and I left Laurel at the Nars counter in Harvey Nichols whilst a member of staff matched her up for a new foundation whilst we headed outside to wait on her. As we waited our eyes fell upon an elderly gentleman wearing rollerblades whilst setting up a speaker system. Before long music filled the surroundings as he began roller-skating round the square zipping in and out of tables and benches in the process. I couldn't quite believe my eyes! He even started skating to 'Rockin' All Over The World' by Status Quo which seemed to gather an audience. I noticed a sign which said that he was seventy eight years old and that he is nicknamed 'Quick Silver'. What an incredible gentleman, I'd honestly never seen anything quite like it before!

Another thing that's really stuck out at me over the past couple of days is that there's a bunch of pianos scattered across the main shopping thoroughfare and anyone can use them to play a tune or two. I've seen some really talented people over the past couple of days and love hearing music wherever we go, why can't we have that back home!? There was also a choir of school children performing and playing large tin drums so we stopped off to listen and they were absolutely brilliant! They performed a range of Beatles numbers which immediately caught my attention accompanied by various other well known hits from the present day and the audience they'd accumulated were lovin' it! We even got speaking to a gentleman who was extremely passionate about art so it was great to sit and chat with him for a little whilst we listened to the children perform. That's one of the many reasons I love Liverpool because everyone is so friendly and interesting!

Initially, we'd planned to return to The Beatles Story however we soon discovered the lift was still broken so unfortunately, it was a no-goer. However, Mum and Dad let me loose it the shop which is like a Beatles fan's heaven. They have everything you could ever imagine. So understandably, I managed to spend a few pounds picking up a few goodies for myself in the process. Oh and let's not forget the soundtrack of Beatles songs in the background which I happily sang along to as I paraded round the shop deliberating what to buy. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

We left the shop with a bag of merch in hand and made our way to the Maritime Museum which was just a short walk away. Laurel and I studied the Titanic in Primary school and have been fascinated with the ill-fated ship ever since. I read online somewhere that the museum is currently playing host to a Titanic exhibit so it was only right to pay it a visit whilst we were there and to top it off, it was absolutely free!
The exhibition was extremely interesting and had been designed to suit all age groups. It was filled with lots of interactive exhibits for younger visitors although I actually quite enjoyed those parts myself I must admit, artefacts from both the ship itself as well as The White Star Line company who's headquarters I believe were located in Liverpool. Not only that, there was also a few pieces of memorabilia from the famous 1997 'Titanic' film starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet which I'm a huge fan of.

We then paid the Museum of Liverpool at Pier Head a brief visit as it was drawing near to closing time. During out Beatles tour last year our guide told us that the museum was host to the very stage that was in St Peter's Hall where John and Paul met in front of the steps whilst John was waited to go on stage to perform with his band 'The Quarrymen'. Naturally, I was desperate to see it so it became part of the agenda for our trip! We stumbled across an exhibit based round the sport, music and entertainment scene in Liverpool where there was a display based round The Beatles yet no sign of the stage. Mum decided to approach a nearby member of the museum staff who said she'd take us to see it. Normally, as far as I'm aware, it's only open to the public at certain times however, she kindly allowed me access into the specific room to view it! She even said I could touch it and take photos which is normally a big 'no, no' when it comes to these sort of things! I was just a tad excited-okay perhaps a little more than that being the geek that I am!

By the time we walked out of the museum doors it was around five o'clock or in other words; dinner time! And guess where we returned to after having such an amazing meal last night? Jamie's Italian restaurant of course! And guessed who ordered a steak once again because she enjoyed it so much the night before? Yep, you guessed it me! Me! Laurel ordered some seafood pasta dish which I could barely look at because it had bits of octopus and squid in it which completely freaked me out and gave me the shivers, how she ate it I'll never know! She's a brave one that's for sure!

Just like I said in my previous post, the staff are an absolute credit to the Jamie's Italian franchise and like Mum and I were saying the restaurant and staff are basically an extension of Jamie Oliver himself. The staff are so friendly and knowledgeable and generally make the entire experience one to remember!

After dinner Dad headed back to the hotel as he was tired and wanted to chill so stayed behind at the Liverpool One Centre and did a little bit of shopping as we had a couple of things in mind that we wanted to pick up for Birthday and Christmas presents. We liked to prepared as far in advance as humanely possible! Even though, it was the early evening the shopping centre was still buzzing with life with people coming and going from all angles. It's definitely a great city to do a bit of people watching that's for sure!

Back at the hotel later in the evening I made at start on transferring my camera files onto my laptop to organise properly when I get home and have some time on my hands. Besides that I did a little bit of window watching (my favourite hobby) and enjoyed leisurely gazing out at the docklands below taking in the stunning view. It's very relaxing for soul!

Anyway, it's getting late and I've got to get up early as tomorrow we're off on The Fab Four taxi tour for a trip round Liverpool and I'm extremely excited to do some exploring and seeing some significant sites in The Beatles world. So there'll be another exciting post coming very soon-promise!

To read Day 1 in my 'Liverpool Adventures' series click here!
or
To read Day 2 in my 'Liverpool Adventures' series click here!

The Problems With Today's Music Industry

I'm meant to be writing my next daily blog and a couple of concert reviews but I found myself randomly scrolling through Facebook, old blog posts and reading a few things written by various people and it's added fuel to a fire that's been burning inside my brain for quite some time now. I've been contemplating this subject for months on end; I've touched upon it in various blog posts here on 'The Hat Hippie' as well as my old music blog. However it's not a subject to touch upon in just one blog post, spur on people's minds for a short period of time and then be forgotten about after a while. I've recently realised that it's a passion and I need to take it into my own hands and do something about it. Unfortunately, I don't have much stature where I have hundreds of people listening to what I have to say and wanting to help. I'm a seventeen year old girl hiding behind her laptop writing whatever comes to my mind because it's something I enjoy doing and I hope that it reaches even just a handful of people. But what I can do is continually make people aware of what I feel passionate about in hope that over time they too will be able to influence others and so on.

You all know that music is my passion and biggest love in life. It's helped cope with everything life has thrown at me particularly in the past five years or so since my knee surgery. I don't know what I would have done without that escape. Over time my love for music has developed naturally by learning to play instruments, exploring the media side of things using blogging as a source to discuss my passion and becoming a radio presenter where again; I can promote, discuss and enthuse about music. However, it saddens me to say that the music industry and let's face it the arts in general is a dying industry due to the modern world. It's there but it often feels like you've got to already be known in the industry to actually succeed. Sadly, there's big and there's small and a very large gap between the two. It seems there's no way of getting there unless you're willing to enter a TV talent show. Admittedly, I'm just as guilty as everyone else; I tune in faithfully every year to watch and every year another contestant wins the title of being a manufactured pop star who will succeed for a few years and have a few hits or release an album which goes straight down the plughole. Why? Well I can't say for sure but as it seems unless you're young and attractive the officials behind the scenes are not interested. There's been certain contestants that stuck out to me throughout these talents show simply because they're different. Sadly, due to that very reason they were eventually voted off or they got a record deal, an album followed and they're image completely changed.

Is that really what the industry is nowadays? Is there really such thing as music anymore? Has the world seriously overlooked something that provokes power, emotion and perhaps represents a little of ourselves in place of young, attractive artists who solely rely on that to sell an album and not it's content. It bothers me watching true musicians out busking, trying to promote their music and sell an album and yet there's big names out there who truly don't appreciate what they have. Indie artists I'm sure would kill for the chance to perform at Wembley Stadium or to have a no.1 hit played nonstop on the radio.

One of the biggest banes of my life is digital music; I do use it like the rest of us but at the same time I hate it and it's impact on the music industry. Similarly, a few years ago at the rise of the kindle and digital books I argued with every single person I met about how I was completely against it and explained time and time again the reason why. I debated this subject with teachers, family and friends and I heard every excuse underneath the sun. I always believed digital books would be the death of the bookstores and I was right. Recently, I came across an article about how a few years ago the high-street bookstores were on the point of diminishing due to a significant rise in digital book sales. In many respects I've never felt so proud in my life, I'd won my argument, I was right! However people have since returned to opting for a physical book and things seem to looking a little more positive in the literacy world but again, there's still a long way to go!

I see a similar situation with music, thanks to the digital world will we loose our music stores? Think about it, a few years ago HMV was on the blink. They shut the doors of some of the franchise's biggest stores, somehow my local store was one of the few that remained but is it's future really certain? I'm not so sure, the signs are certainly there; it's already recently moved to a much smaller store and I personally feel that the music selection is nowhere as varied as it once was. Somehow, unlike the book world I don't see things getting better anytime soon.

I visited my Grandparent's earlier today and my Gran had recorded a documentary about Top Of The Pops for me so I sat down and watched it whilst I was there. Throughout it my mind kept going back to these thoughts and how things have changed for the industry in the present day. It's certainly not for the better. There's another thing, what happened to things like Top Of The Pop and MTV? Sadly, I'm too young to remember it but have discovered many of it's content through YouTube and on TOTP reruns on TV late in the evenings. The type of content it featured would appeal to me in the present day, I for one would certainly watch it! But sadly, there is NOTHING like that at present! And even if there was would it all be directed towards brainwashing the world with manufactured pop acts?

Like I said earlier, I'm only seventeen but I for one can see a real problem. I've had various discussions with various people particularly in the past few weeks and I've been thinking about it more than you could possibly imagine. I have a chance on radio to make a difference, I have a chance to use this blog and to build something on YouTube in some shape or form to do something and make a change. A picture is slowly beginning to emerge in my head even as I've written this things are popping into my head. I have ideas and I want to develop them and see where they lead because I'm sick of watching what's going on in the music industry today. I'm sick of hearing the same old artists who all sound the same; they all have that stereotypical 'pop star' look and if you don't be assured that as soon they sign on the dotted line making it official; it's something they'll have morphed into them.

I'll leave you all with these words as I go and think some more about what I can do because I'm sick of sitting around, waiting for someone to create a solution. Perhaps I, myself will find one eventually. Until then, I'm going to venture into the subject more and more using all platforms that I possibly can to help me. Let's see where it take me............

If you want to get in contact with me regarding this be sure to use one of the following links:

Email: thehathippie@outlook.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehathippieblog

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: First Time Playing Drums

First time playing drums

I woke up this morning with a notification of my iPod from around 5am; a text or iMessage (whatever you want to call) from Laurel who's cuddled up in her bed at the other side of the room 'is Dad keeping you awake with his snoring?'. Well, not quite considering I hadn't received the text until after 8am. He was however, snoring rather loudly before I nodded off after finishing writing yesterday's post around 1am yet somehow I still managed to fall asleep.

Bill's

We headed out this morning for breakfast at 'Bill's' where we ate during our visit here last year. I absolutely love the rustic, shabby chic décor in this cute little restaurant. There wasn't much question over what I was going to order, a good old cooked breakfast of course! Dad had the same, Laurel had blueberry buttermilk pancakes and Mum ordered the bread basket which was filled with a toast, croissants and pan au chocolat. My breakfast was absolutely delicious as was everyone else's. As we were eating 'Rhiannon' by Fleetwood Mac began to play which topped it all off, my day was already made!

My Breakfast

Unfortunately, my SD card for my camera had broken and would no longer slot into my camera so I really needed to replace and soon at that because I've been vlogging our trip here and I didn't want to miss out on any potential footage so I had everyone on a hunt for WHSmith. Eventually, we did come across one-thank goodness for that! So I was quite happy once I bought a new SD card as a replacement. Following this Laurel's eyes fell upon one of her very favourite shops 'Lush' so we ended up having a browse in there too. And of course Laurel was able to stock up on some new goodies to take back home.

After we found Dad again we set off back to Albert Dock to The Beatles Story museum however the lift was broken and they had called the engineers out to fix it so we couldn't go into the first part until the lift was fixed. However, we did get to go to the second part located at Pier Head where we visited last night to see The Beatles statues; just a short walk away from Albert Dock. The Pier Head part of the museum had an exhibition on the British Invasion in America, there was a variety of memorabilia from legendary British and American artists including BB King, James Brown, The Supremes and even Keith Moon's drum kit!
As you can see in picture at the top of the page, I had my very first drum lesson at the museum curtesy of the one and only Ringo Starr (by a pre-recorded video). I'd always wanted to have a go at playing drums and finally I got a chance! Needless to say I was absolutely rubbish at it-I think I'll stick to bass for now hehe! Mum however, was probably a little relieved that I wouldn't be taking up a new hobby and subjecting the house to a lot of noise! But what a claim to fame eh? I had my first drum lesson from Ringo! Too bad it wasn't in person though!

Keith Moon's drum kit

There was also a photographic exhibition title 'George, Eric and Me' which was basically a collection of photographs by Patti Boyd taken over the years of herself, George Harrison and Eric Clapton as well as a few other famous faces from the music world. There was some amazing photos in there I have to say-definitely worth going to the museum just to see that! I also had a browse in the Fab Four store however decided to refrain from buying anything and instead go to the other store at The Beatles Story, Albert Dock as the selection of merch there was amazing last time!

Another pic of a display inside The Beatles Story, Pier Head

We did a little shopping at the Liverpool One centre again, there is seriously so many great shops there! You could easily spend hours wandering around. Laurel in particular was delighted to see that Liverpool's Forever 21 branch is still open as the Glasgow store shut it's door just a few weeks ago. So we enjoyed having a browse in there and I may have even treated myself to a new top. We also paid a visit to Ed's Diner for a milkshake to keep us going and oh my goodness are they delicious! Besides the amazing milkshakes, I also love Ed's because they play a soundtrack of 50's music which I enjoy bopping around to. My favourite though would have to be 'Hey Baby' by Bruce Chanel, I remember hearing that song as a little girl and still love it just as much today. As we were sitting in Ed's a family walked in with a little boy probably around four maybe five at push in a wheelchair and I just had this feeling straight away and I was right. The little boy had an ilizarov frame on his leg which I at the exact same age when I underwent surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital. It was a little strange seeing someone else with one as you don't usually see anything like that outwith London; a little bit of deja vu to be honest. Part of me wanted to go say 'hello' but I know how it felt as a little girl when people mentioned it to me particularly when I didn't know them so didn't want to overstep myself. But what a brave little boy, I truly admire him!

As we wandered through one of the shopping malls which was filled with a lot of designer shops a torrential rain shower began to fall and everyone was flocking inside for shelter. I think the bad weather had followed us from Scotland. There's no escaping it that's for sure! Although it was funny hearing some of the guys running the market stalls trying to sell umbrellas to everybody and anybody that would listen to them. Great for business I'm sure!

Dinner at Jamie's Italian

We ate dinner at Jamie's Italian restaurant located within the shopping centre proximity and the standards was amazing! The restaurant itself is very chilled and the décor again, is very quirky in it's own way. The staff were extremely friend and VERY knowledgeable about each item on the menu which was extremely impressive! They were an absolute credit to the franchise and would definitely encourage you to return again in future. The food itself was impeccable, I ordered steak with garlic butter and spicy fries and it was seriously one of the best things I'd eaten in a LONG time! I seriously enjoyed every single bite! I also had chocolate ice-cream for dessert which was equally as delicious-mmm! Take me back please!

Such big kids in the Disney Store!

After dinner we had a browse in a couple of other shops like Topshop and Laurel and I decided to pay a visit to The Disney Store. We're such big kids but honestly who doesn't love Disney!? I get so excited in the Disney store, it makes me so happy wandering around seeing all of my favourite characters and hearing those much loved Disney classics playing in the background. I may even have got a photo taken with a statue of Elsa from 'Frozen'-I just couldn't help myself! Yes, I'm one of the few people on earth who still love 'Frozen' and have grown sick of hearing 'Let It Go' and I'm not afraid to admit it haha! 

It was drawing closer to 8pm so we began heading back to the hotel for the night as everyone I think were feeling pretty shattered from walking around all day. So it was rather nice to get back to the comfort of hotel, chill out and get some rest to recharge our batteries. I did the usual transferring files from my camera and iPod to my laptop and external drive so I'd have more memory to take more photos and videos tomorrow to look back on at a later date and share with you all. Anyway, it's almost 1am and I'm actually tired for once so I'm going to head to my bed and get a goodnight's sleep.

Goodnight to you all!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

To read the first post in my 'Liverpool Adventures' series and here all about what I got up to during my first day in Liverpool click here!

Day 34: No Scottish Gigs Rant

It's another Monday; the start of a new week! I hope you all have a pleasant coming week whatever you're up to.

It's been another quietish day for me with very little to report I'm afraid. As you'll probably recall from my previous post, I made some of those delicious Malteaser chocolate truffles and as always, they're disappearing rather quickly. You can't help but pop into the fridge every time you enter the kitchen for another one-they're just soo good!

Laurel is feeling a little better today by the looks of it, I saw her properly for the first time in a couple of days as she came downstairs for a little while so that can only be a good thing. The poor soul has been absolutely miserable during the past couple of days with the virus that she caught whilst we were away last week. Here's hoping she's on the mend now!

I've also decided to start a mini art project over the Summer and see how it goes. It'll probably take longer than that timeframe to complete but I thought I'd attempt doing something creative during my free-time. I'll not tell you exactly what I'm going to attempt just yet but what I will say is, I got the idea from my art tutor. When we were working on my Nat 4 Art we displayed various pieces of my artwork in a sketch book which was quite fun to create so I thought I'd take that idea and use it in my project. Basically, I've selected a theme and I'll create various pieces of art based on that theme and display it in my sketchbook in a similar way that my tutor and I did. Again, I'll try keep you updated with the progress and perhaps the odd photo if I remember to take them!

Since we arrived home from good old Liverpool last week, we haven't done a proper weekly shop yet and have just been get the odds and ends we need from the supermarket. However, Mum and I did a mini supermarket shop this afternoon to purchase the bits and bobs we'd need for the next couple of days to take us up to Thursday when we normally do the main weekly shop. We nipped into the supermarket café for a quick drink before Mum headed off to get what we needed. As I waited in the café, I took full advantage of the free Wi-Fi and was fiddling round on my iPod to pass time.

Within the space of a few minutes there were two gig announcements which sadly didn't quite turn out to be what I'd hoped. I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw that Mick Fleetwood's Blues Band were heading out on tour and of course my heart skipped a beat with excitement as I clicked on the article. Sadly for me, it's a tour of the US so I guess I'll be waiting in anticipation in hope of a UK tour sometime in the not so distant future.

Just a short while later, I saw an article on Queen's Facebook that Brian May and Kerry Ellis were heading out on a UK tour around Christmas. Now, I'd been patiently waiting for them to tour the UK and was pretty much bursting in my seat as I tried to get the article to open. Typically, it wouldn't load. Why does technology never work when you need it to!? Eventually, after plenty of persistence I managed to load the article and found myself scrolling down the page until I came across the dates. My heart was pumping as I scrolled through the list of dates and then I reached the last one; no Scottish dates! Are you kidding me!? I'd waited ages for a UK tour and there isn't even one single show here in Scotland! Needless to say I'm gutted. I guess I'll be waiting a little while longer then. Oh well, I least I'll be able to save my cash for future Fleetwood Mac and Paul McCartney tours! The life of a music geek eh?

Well, that's all there is to report today folks! My stomach's rumbling and dinner will be ready very soon so I better head off for now. 

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx 

Day 33: A Quiet Saturday

Well Hello There!

I haven't properly written a daily blog for a over a week now as I've been away however I did take my laptop with me as I couldn't possibly go without writing for a few days so be hind the scenes everyone evening I've been typing away so I could schedule and upload a bunch of posts once I arrive home. The first post about my trip to Liverpool is up already so click here to check it out!

We were planning to head to Manchester whilst we were down there but poor Laurel has taken ill with a virus so we brought her home so she could get some rest, there's seriously nothing worse than being ill far from home. Unfortunately, she still isn't feeling so great-poor soul! Hopefully, in a couple of days she'll be back to her usual self though!

It's not been the most eventful of days to be honest although, I could do with a quiet few days after all the sheer excitement of being a complete and utter Beatles geek. Liverpool seriously brings the worst out in me-in a good way though!

I literally got up out of my cosy cocoon of a bed and stared into space for a while sitting on the sofa trying to convince myself that drinking my smoothie might actually be a good idea. I really am not much of a morning person whatsoever even if it is the Summer holidays. It didn't help that I did my usual party trick last night; Mum and I went to bed quite late as we were watching something on TV and I nodded off pretty quickly. The only problem was I nodded off on top of my duvet; the cushions were still set out neatly where I'd left them earlier in the day and I hadn't removed my makeup-way to go Rob! I came to around 2am and realised this was the case so popped all my cushions down at the bottom of my bed and decided to have a rest for a further couple of seconds before heading to the bathroom to removed my makeup. Bad idea! Next thing I knew, it was 3am and I had fallen asleep AGAIN! I quickly scurried through to the bathroom, did my teeth, removed my makeup and finally cuddled into my bed once and for all. So I'm guessing that's why I was as sleepy this morning. Oh well! That wasn't the first time it had happened to me either and I'm guessing it probably won't be the last either; I'll never learn my lesson that's for sure!

I washed my red locks to freshen them up a little and moped around the house for a while until Mum asked if I wanted to go out with her to grab a couple of bits n' bobs from the supermarket which of course I agreed to as I don't do being stuck in the house for any length of time. I like to be on the move. Just as we were about to set foot out the door, Dad arrived home to keep an eye on a poorly Laurel cuddled in her bed upstairs.

Our trip out consisted of a brief visit to TK Maxx as we hadn't been for a while with us being away in Liverpool. Although we didn't last long as it was full of Saturday shoppers who are away with the fairies I think it's fair to say! We much prefer it during the week, early in the morning when it's quiet. This was followed by a trip to Sainsbury's where we bumped into a friend who we had a quick coffee with before picking up what we needed.

Back home, after dinner I decided to do a spot of baking. Malteaser chocolate truffles-mmm! I tend to make them nowadays as they're not too strenuous as I get tired easily thanks to my CRPS. Thankfully, they don't take too much time or effort to make and it's something I love doing too! Whilst the mixture was setting in the fridge we enjoyed chilling out in the garden for a little while as it was quite mild for once. I believe the weather is to improve next week so here's hoping the weather forecasts are correct! It would be rather nice to have a few more warm, sunny days wouldn't it? We had a taste of it down Liverpool and I'm seriously missing it!

Anyway, what was I saying? Ah yes, we spent an hour so sitting out in the garden listening to the birds singing in the trees beyond our garden. In my opinion there's nothing sweeter than listening to birds sing-such a beautiful sound!

It did however begin to grow cold and I can't stand a cold breeze so around half past ten we headed back inside to the warmth of the house. Sitting out in the garden until half past ten is pretty good I must say though! It was then that I finished off making my truffles and may have tried one (maybe even two!). They were rather scrumptious if I do say so myself!

Well I'll love ya and leave ya for now folks!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: Finding The Beatles!

At long last I'm finally back in one of the most amazing cities I've ever been to, Liverpool of course. Some of you may remember me visiting Liverpool for the first time last year when I attended Paul McCartney's gig at The Echo Arena in May. We loved the city so much and felt so at home there so decided to return this Summer. So here I am sitting with my laptop chilling out in our hotel room looking over the docks which by the way is absolutely stunning.

Nine o'clock this morning, we set off from our home in Scotland on a road trip down south. I have a slight obsession with road trips, I just love the buzz of it all! And I quite enjoy stopping off at service stations on route-I'm a strange one that's for sure!

Tebay Service Station

Having passed the English border I thought I'd attempt an English accent to pass some time and see how long I'd could keep it going for. I'm not too bad at the accent although I did struggle saying Laurel's name. Unfortunately, it only lasted until we pulled into Tebay Services which I believe is located in the Penrith area. I was far too occupied munching on my lunch to put the effort into concentrating on my accent any longer. Following lunch we all nipped inside for a bathroom stop and Mum and Dad had a nosy in the farm shop whilst Laurel and I stood outside glued to our phones using the free Wi-Fi-might as well take full advantage of it!

Back on the road again we set off on our way to Liverpool listening to a little bit of Fleetwood Mac to keep us going. It had been a pretty smooth journey up until then that was until we hit some heavy traffic which set us back a little. Eventually, we did make it to the other side and soon enough the traffic seemed to flow at much quicker pace.

The view of Albert Dock from the hotel window

Around three o'clock (I think) we reached our destination of 'Liverpool' and found a space at Albert Dock to park the car for an hour which would give us just enough time to check into the hotel, drop off our luggage and move the car to the multi-story carpark at The Echo Arena. Growing more and more hungry we headed into the Liverpool One centre. It was here that we became frequent visitors to during our last trip. We spent a little while wandering round trying to remember how to get to Pizza Hut for a much needed bite to eat.

Pepsi!

Most of the shops had closed for the evening as it was after five already but the eateries on the upper floor were buzzing with activity. Unlike last time where we spent ages waiting on a table as it was Friday night, we were seated almost immediately which was great. Before long we'd ordered our pizzas, paid a visit to the salad bar and were munching away on some rather delicious food. It had been a while since I last dined in Pizza Hut and you can now go and get your own soft drinks and what's even better is the fact that it's unlimited! Great for someone like me who's always thirsty!

My lovely sister Laurel & I

Laurel kept us all entertained whilst snapping pictures of Mum and Dad using the Snapchat filters, the slice of toast filter was absolutely hilarious might I add!

Leisurely, we strolled back to the docklands enjoying the sunshine which seems to be avoiding Scotland since that recent warm spell a couple of weeks ago. It was rather refreshing to see it again and not downpours of rain and grey, cloudy skies. The docks are beautiful anyway but are all the more stunning in nice weather!

The beautiful docklands

We headed down past the Pumphouse and Maritime Museum, where Laurel and I stopped at one the cute retro ice-cream vans for an ice-cream and ice-lolly in my instance. The only problem was the chocolate on mine kept falling off it whilst I attempted to eat as Mum pushed me in my wheelchair-it certainly kept me on my toes! We crossed one of the bridges past the museum, in direction of Pier Head next to the Liver Building (pictured below). I also managed to find the newly unveiled Beatles statues which I had hoped to see at some point during our trip and snapped a geeky photograph (or two!) beside them. Although, I did feel rather small standing next to it-not that it would be difficult as I'm rather short! But I'm glad I got to see it!

The Liver Building

It was around here we decided to turn back in direction of Albert Dock and head back to the hotel to chill for the remainder of the evening. Wandering round Albert Dock we had a nosy at the shop windows and admired the breath-taking architecture of the buildings as well as the interiors within the various shops and restaurants. It seriously such a quirky area where I could happily spend ages wandering around, taking in the views and enjoying the atmosphere. I love it so much!

Back at the hotel we spent the evening chilling out and in my instance pestering everyone with the constant tapping sound of my fingers on the keyboard of my laptop as I happily type away here on my blog. I thought I would write a post each night and upload them all on some sort of scheduled basis once I return home to Scotland, so keep an eye out for them all over the next little while. So anyway, I better go get ready for bed and attempt to get some sleep so I'm up bright and breezy tomorrow morning for another busy day in Liverpool.

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xxx